The popular Rod Reid Trail, located at the top of Ninth Avenue in Burns Lake, is looking great after receiving multiple upgrades this summer.
The upgrades were thanks to the Burns Lake Rotary Club and the contributions of several local companies, volunteers and local governments.
“It all came together really well because of the community involvement,” said Laura Blackwell, Rotary’s past president. “We would have never been able to do such a big project without the people who helped us.”
As part of the upgrades, all bridges were replaced, both viewpoints were repaired and painted, gravel was added in lower spots of the trail, benches were upgraded, and signs throughout the trail were replaced and painted.
“There won’t be any more soggy trails next spring where the trail used to flood due to high water,” said Blackwell.
The biggest part of the upgrades was replacing all of the trail’s bridges.
“They used to be very steep and had no handrails; now they are flat and every bridge has handrails,” explained Blackwell.
“We just upgraded everything, either by replacing it or fixing it,” she added. “The trail has turned out beautiful.”
This was Rotary’s main project for 2017.
“We were aware that the trail needed a lot of upgrading, so we thought this would be a perfect project for us because it is something the whole community uses,” said Blackwell. “We have received lots of feedback already from the community and everyone has said they appreciate the work we have done.”
It took the chosen contractor, Hurry Help Landscaping, 16 days to complete their part of the work. Rotary members then completed the painting in about four days.
When asked why Rotary chose a contractor based in Fraser Lake, Blackwell said that the club tried to hire a local contractor, but that they were not successful.
“We asked seven locals contractors in town but they were either too busy or couldn’t do the job, so we went with Hurry Help Landscaping,” she said.
The Fraser Lake company donated $8000 of work and supplies to the project.
“It was so fantastic of them to put such a huge contribution into our community,” said Blackwell.
Although the club is not sure of the precise cost of the project, Rotary has spent approximately $26,000 in addition to the $8000 donated by Hurry Help Landscaping.
Several companies and local government also contributed to the project, including Dale Ross from the Village of Burns Lake, Chinook Community Forest, Burns Lake Community Forest, Lakes District Maintenance, Babine Forest Products, Decker Lake Forest Products and Home Hardware.
“One of our longtime members, George Magee, was very helpful to the club as he let us use his land to access the trail easier,” said Blackwell. “So that was a bonus. Not only George, but Luke Strimbold and Richard Vossen were instrumental in this project along with long time Rotarian Jack Brown and other Rotarians like Lianne Olson, it was a club effort by all of us.”
“This project was a combined effort with over 200 hours of labour that club members and community volunteers put into it,” she added.
The Burns Lake Rotary Club holds fundraising events throughout the year to fund community projects. The annual radio auction is the club’s biggest fundraiser, usually raising about $30,000.
In 2016, Rotary spent approximately $20,000 on the Burns Lake Cemetery revitalization project and approximately $8000 on the Burns Lake Community Garden.
